A man from Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania was arrested after losing two pounds of marijuana in an Uber car. In the aftermath of the incident, the man is now facing multiple criminal charges.
Arrested After Losing Two Pounds of Weed
The entire ordeal reportedly began in late December, according to reports from local news sources. That’s when the man in question, later identified by authorities as 21-year-old Malik Rasaan Mollett, took a ride in an Uber car.
After getting out of the car, he realized he forgot a bag. And unfortunately for Mollett, the bag was filled with two pounds of marijuana.
On December 28, after apparently realizing his mistake, Mollett called Uber. In the call, he explained that he had forgotten his bag. Additionally, he asked if there was any way to get his property back.
Meanwhile, the original Uber driver was in the process of contacting the authorities. As per local reports, the driver called Pennsylvania state police on January 2. He reportedly told the cops about the bag. After the call, police arranged to get the bag of weed from the driver.
Police said the bag in question was a black Jimmy Jazz shopping bag. Inside, it reportedly contained two vacuum-sealed packages. Each package was labeled “GG4” and looked like they contained marijuana. Later, lab tests confirmed that the packages did indeed contain cannabis.
Additionally, the Uber driver gave cops the cell phone number of the passenger who left the bag in the car. That eventually led authorities to Mollett.
An officer posing as the original Uber driver then called Mollett. During the conversation, Mollett reportedly described his lost bag to the cop.
The officer reportedly texted Mollett a picture of the confiscated bag. After Mollett confirmed it was his, the cop set up a meeting at a nearby McDonald’s restaurant, telling Mollett he could get his bag back.
At the arranged meeting, Mollett entered the restaurant and the officer gave him the bag. But before Mollett could leave, another officer entered and arrested him.
Facing Criminal Charges
As a result of the arrest, Mollett is now being held in the Westmoreland County Jail on $150,000 cash bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on January 30 for a preliminary hearing.
Local sources report that Mollett is currently facing multiple charges. These include manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance. Additionally, Mollett is also being charged with criminal use of a communication facility.
Currently, medical marijuana is legal in Pennsylvania, under the state’s medical marijuana program. But recreational cannabis remains illegal.
However, there has been some progress toward liberalizing the state’s prohibition laws. Most notably, a few of the state’s larger cities have begun decriminalizing the possession and consumption of small amounts of marijuana.
For example, Philadelphia first decriminalized cannabis back in 2014. Specifically, the city decided to decriminalize the possession of up to 30 grams of weed.
Then, in 2015, Pittsburgh followed suit. There, city officials decriminalized the possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana. Additionally, Pittsburgh also decriminalized the possession of up to eight grams of hash.
